Liverpool 4 Porto 1 - CL Group Stage (Nov 28 2007)

[TLW]

LIVERPOOL 4 Porto 1

Report by Dave Usher at Anfield

Scorer(s) – Fernando Torres (2), Steven Gerrard (pen), Peter Crouch Half Time - 1-1 Venue - Anfield Date - Wednesday 28 November 2007 Star Man – Fernando Torres

 

 

 

 

Rafa lives to fight another day then. Who knows whether or not he would have been sacked had we been eliminated from the Champions League, but I’ll bet there were plenty of people inside Anfield fearing the worst as time ticked away and Porto were looking comfortable. There are those who dismissed the reports at the weekend as sensationalist nonsense, but significantly Rick Parry, George Gillett and Tom Hicks were not amongst them.

Benitez had been bullish after the win against Newcastle, once again speaking out against the owners and even wearing a tracksuit rather than his trademark smart suit and tie, just to thumb his nose at Gillett and Hicks. Yet after the owners failed to shoot down the report claiming he was about to be sacked, Benitez’s tone changed considerably, an olive branch was offered and the smart suit returned for the Porto game. Whether that – coupled with the vociferous fan support he has – is enough to keep him in his job is something only time will tell.

For now, all he can do is keep winning games, and keep his mouth shut. He has the support of the fans, but much as we’d like to think otherwise, that matters very little. The Americans will do what they want to do, and what the fans want simply doesn’t come into it. From the moment they acquired 100% ownership we lost any power we had. They don’t have to answer uncomfortable questions from shareholders at the AGM anymore, and does anyone seriously think that Tom Hicks – a man who’s big mates with one of the most hated men on the planet – is really going to care about 5,000 scousers marching from a pub and singing some songs? If he wants to sack Rafa he will, and nothing we do will change it.

But I’m sick and tired of reading about, hearing about and most of all, talking about Gillett, Hicks and Rafa’s precarious position. To me it’s simple, no decision should be taken on his future until the summer. It should be looked at then, and if clear progress is being made his job should be safe, if we look like we’re falling further behind then maybe a change would be required. At this moment in time though it shouldn’t even be on the agenda, and it’s sad that it is.

If Rafa is a good little boy, and keeps getting results he may earn a stay of execution. If he opens his mouth again he’s history, I’ve got no doubt about that. What is unclear is what a couple of bad results will mean. If he behaves himself, he may be able to survive some bad results, or they may sack him after one defeat. I hope we don’t get the chance to find out, as we are in a good run now and long may it continue.

We started well against Porto, but it was clear from the beginning that they hadn’t come to lie down. They played three up front and were obviously going to give us a game. Rafa had picked an attacking line up, with Babel and Benayoun on the flanks and Gerrard in an orthodox midfield role in a 4-4-2. As ever, the main issue concerned who started up front. This time, Voronin got the nod alongside Torres. Personally I’d have gone with Crouch, but the Ukranian has produced some very good performances of late and it’s difficult to argue too much with his selection.

This was a must win game, and with the added spice of the Rafa situation I was really expecting this to be one of those really special atmospheres. Maybe not at the level of the Chelsea semi finals, but certainly similar to the Juve or Barca nights, or like GH’s return against Roma. It wasn’t though, in fact it wasn’t even close. It wasn’t bad, at least at the start and the finish anyway, but it wasn’t a ‘special’ night that will be talked about for years to come. Of course, the game itself has a lot to do with that, as it was relatively flat for long periods, especially in the second half.

The first half was fascinating. We began well enough and when Torres headed in from a corner (or was it a free-kick, I can’t remember?) everything was going according to script. We were playing well, we were in control, and then suddenly Porto scored. I’d be lying if I said I thought it was coming, as it wasn’t. Having said that though, their front players did look lively. Well two of them did anyway. The much vaunted Quaresma was awful, he barely did anything right all night.

The other two however, were impressive. The number nine looked a good player, and even though his goal should have been prevented from our point of view, they’ll say it was a well worked goal.

It was a setback, but I wasn’t worried. Recent early season blips aside, we’re great in the Champions League, especially at home. I thought we’d steamroller them in the second half, and although technically that’s how it turned out, it was far from being that straightforward.

We lost our way, big time. I could be reading things into that aren’t there, but to me it looked like the players became nervous because of what was potentially at stake. Elimination from the Champions League, but also the potential loss of their manager. Like I say, maybe it’s just my imagination, but they definitely seemed edgy to me, and silly mistakes began to creep in.

Some were guilty of sloppy passes, some of trying to force things too much. Gerrard in particular had a ropey spell where he gave the ball away several times, although in his defence he never hid and he eventually came through it. Yossi got a bit sloppy too, and Babel was guilty of over-elaborating on a few occasions. Nerves began to take hold of Anfield, on and off the field.

As time began to tick away, Porto started to look more comfortable. They knocked the ball about well and had some lengthy spells of possession, but there was not much to trouble Pepe’s goal largely due to the back four being solid and Mascherano protecting them very well.

Nevertheless, as we began to throw more men forward the spectre of a Porto counter attack catching us cold began to loom large. Another goal for them and we were done for, and to be honest we were not looking like scoring ourselves. Rafa sent on Kewell for Voronin, and then Crouch for Benayoun, and both changes made a difference.

For me though, the catalyst for our late flurry of goals was Mascherano. The game was flat, nothing had happened and the crowd were very quiet. Then the little Argentine won the ball in midfield and looked to lay it off to a team-mate. Babel ran inside though, and there was no-one else for Mascherano to pass to. So he carried it forward himself, running into the space vacated by Babel on the right flank and surged to the byline. His dangerous low cross was cleared by the Porto defence, but that one little burst of attacking play from the Chief lifted everybody and began a spell of pressure that ultimately yielded three goals.

Sometimes it takes a little thing like that to get everyone going. Whether it’s a crunching tackle, a powerful shot or a surging run. Just something to give people a bit of encouragement and get the crowd into it again. Mascherano provided it, and we kicked on from there.

Kewell skipped away from his marker on the flank, ran forward and fed Torres. It’s been said many times this season that the £18m forward makes things look scarily easy at times, and this was another example of it. I don’t even know exactly what he did, it all seemed to happen so fast and I haven’t seen any replays of it yet. In the blink of an eye he turned his marker, he was into the box and then he stroked the ball into the corner. Brilliant.

Porto were rattled, and were struggling to cope with the red tide that was crashing against them. Kewell and Babel were running at them, Torres was scaring the crap out of them and they also had to deal with the menace of Crouch. Their centre half didn’t really want to deal with Crouch, and instead tried to take him out with a crunching aerial challenge that earned him a booking.

Seconds later, he was in trouble again, this time handling the ball as he went up for a header with Crouchy. The ref had allowed a couple of similar incidents to go unpunished, but this one was so clear he had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Gerrard stepped up and continued his recent excellent form from 12 yards to make the game safe.

The icing on the cake arrived when Crouch headed in a Gerrard corner to give the scoreline the emphatic look many of us were expecting beforehand. For a long time though it didn’t look like it would happen, but credit to the players for sticking at it and getting their reward.

The star man had to be Torres (although Mascherano ran him close). He’s just an absolute menace. He misses a fair few chances (not in this game though), but he’s just an absolute terror. When we signed him I didn’t think he was as good as all the hype, but I was completely wrong about that. He’s absolutely brilliant, and with him in the side we really can beat anyone.

Rafa has occasionally rotated him and we’ve dropped points. Given the situation the manager is in right now, where he isn’t sure if his next defeat will be his last, I can’t see him resting Torres or Gerrard or any other key player for that matter. He has to focus on the next game, rather than worry about player’s being fresh in three months time.

That may actually be the only good thing to come out of all this uncertainty surrounding his job at the moment. He’ll have to keep picking his strongest team because if he were to make any controversial changes and it went against him, it could be the end of his time at Anfield.

All he can do us keep winning, and hope the rest takes care of itself.

Team: Reina; Finnan, Carragher, Hyypia, Arbeloa; Benayoun (Crouch), Gerrard, Mascherano, Babel (Kuyt); Voronin (Kewell), Torres: